Reading, Listening, Watching

[purplecat]

Reading: Still The Red Men. It's got less male gazey, though the female characters continue to be cardboard cut-outs. I can't decide if this is deliberate - a comment on "dude-bro" tech corporate culture with a side-order of the narrator deliberately trying to obscure parts of his life - or just that the author doesn't think women are particularly interesting beyond their existence as daughters, wives, mothers and girlfriends.

Listening: A Verity Podcast on a Big Finish story I don't know. I am torn between feeling I miss out on not really being into Big Finish, with feeling I have little enough spare time as it is and knowing I'm not a huge fan of audio drama in general.

Watching: The Masque of Mandragora because I only had to pay double list price to get hold of the Doctor Who Season 14 blu-rays, but this generated enough angst that Tame Layman became aware of the purchase and expressed a desire to watch Season 14 in order. Much admiration of Heironymous' Beard and debate over whether it is real (I think it is fake).

Comments

[sir_guinglain]

Despite my parlous financial position, I, too, have just paid double list price for the Season 14 DVDs. I decided they were only going to become more expensive, shadowed the bidding, and won unexpectedly so it may be that I was wrong...

[purplecat]

I did wonder if they would re-release like they did Season 12 but decided everything is sufficiently uncertain at the moment that it was best not to rely on it. I was lucky enough to find a "Buy it Now" on eBay at "only" double list price (where most of them seemed to be over £100)

[sir_guinglain]

I suspect that I have paid a little more than I might have done, but still under £100.

[vivdunstan]

A lot of the early Monthly Range (various docs, 5, 6, 7, 8) audios are really cheap in download. Sometimes as low as 99p, usually just a couple of pounds. So you could try some cheaply. I do get your point about not really liking audio drama though.

I’ve been listening to Big Finish since 2003. For me they revolutionised the 8th and 6th Doc eras. Also gave fresh spins on questionable companions like Mel. Though maybe not so much Adric IMHO ...

Early audios I’d particularly recommend include 8th Doc titles Chimes of Midnight and Seasons of Fear, and for the 6th Doc Whispers of Terror and the Spectre of Lanyon Moor. The early 5th and 7th Doc stories are often strong too.

[vivdunstan]

One extra thought: the early Main Range stories are almost always 4 parters over 2 hours. So they can be listened to in smaller half hour chunks. I’m often not well enough to listen to a story right through, with my neuro illness. So I listen to it in smaller chunks, that are split nicely, and I can listen to over several days or a week or even longer.

[purplecat]

Well, to be honest, time is more of an issue than money - particularly since I think the first 100 are available for free on Spotify (to which we have a family subscription). I also think I have the first couple of dozen on CD somewhere, though I've not listened to them in two decades.

I'm tempted by what I've heard of both the Peri and Erimem stories and the Ace and Hex stories. But then I was also taken by the concept of the Gallifrey Chronicles and River Song's diaries enough that I got the first set of each and in neither case have I felt really inspired to get the next...

[vivdunstan]

Oh and your first dozen or so on CD will probably now be extremely valuable to collectors. Just in case you ever wanted to offload them / clear some space ... They have been out of print for some years now, and are highly sought on the secondhand market e.g. eBay. I've kept some of my earliest ones, but others I have listened to and sold on. Just a thought.

[purplecat]

Actually, tbh, if they were available in the Apple Podcast app then I'd just add them into the rotation of podcasts I listen to while running - its the thought of having to fiddle around switching between podcasts and audio drama that rather puts me off the attempt.

[vivdunstan]

Big Finish have an extremely good app for iOS and Android. Yes it is another app to install and switch to, but it downloads the stories very well and plays them extremely conveniently. Compared with many other apps it is remarkably well designed IMHO, especially for what is a small company. I used to rip my CDs to listen to on the computer or iPod. Now I just use the app. CD purchases now get downloads included, though that only applies to direct purchases in the last decade or so.

[daniel-saunders.livejournal.com]

Yes, I also feel I miss out on BF, but have limited time and money.